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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23075671">Steve-o</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsDiablousRiddle/pseuds/MrsDiablousRiddle'>MrsDiablousRiddle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Steven Universe Works [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Mom!Lapis, Post-Steven Universe: The Movie, Steven Universe is Pink Diamond, Steven Universe is a Diamond, Steven needs a hug, cocoa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:01:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,039</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23075671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsDiablousRiddle/pseuds/MrsDiablousRiddle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven Universe is an exhausted bean who needs a hug. Lapis Lazuli is a mom.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steven Universe &amp; Lapis Lazuli</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Steven Universe Works [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1658440</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Steve-o</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowhisperer/gifts">willowhisperer</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steven fell to his bed, exhausted and spent. His hands went to his gem, the only piece of his mother he had left, and he felt tears rush to his eyes. Where was Steven to turn when he felt like this? Who was he to turn to when he felt abysmal?</p>
<p>“Steven?” Lapis called as she opened the door. “Steven? Where are you?” Lapis searched the first floor of the house before she fluttered over to the door of the temple and knocked. “Steven? Are you in there?”</p>
<p>“Up here,” Steven called, his voice muffled by the thick comforter on his bed, “I’m up here Lapis.” Steven didn’t remember rolling onto his stomach or stuffing his face into his comforter but he just rolled with it, much like he used to do when everyone was always needing him. Steven felt tears well up in his eyes but quickly squashed them down. Lapis needed him.</p>
<p>Lapis fluttered up to land beside Steven on his bed, her mind racing. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw exactly how distraught Steven was. Her problem could wait, helping Steven could not. “What’s up, Steve-o?” The nickname felt foreign on her lips and tumbled out with the grace of a newborn foal trying desperately to get onto its legs but couldn’t no matter how hard it tried.</p>
<p>Steven let out the ghost of a laugh, turning his head towards Lapis. The ghost of a smile played on his lips before he collapsed back onto his bed. “What’cha need Lapis?”</p>
<p>Lapis’s face broke out in shock, not believing that Steven couldn’t tell something was wrong. “Actually, I was wondering the same thing about you.”</p>
<p>Steven’s head shot up and looked at Lapis with a scared expression. “What you mean?”</p>
<p>“Steven. You aren’t acting like yourself.”</p>
<p>Steven’s face morphed into one of anger, his skin beginning to turn pink. He got up off of the bed, jumped from the second floor onto the main floor, and strode towards the door. He waved his hand in front of the door and let it take him wherever.</p>
<p>Lapis followed Steven through the door, her heart reaching out for the boy turned leader turned warrior. She looked around the room, seeing all the pink clouds and not seeing anything that directly correlated with the boy in front of her.</p>
<p>Steven let the pink take over, conjuring multiple cloud figures and aimed his hands at them. He let out his anguish, destroying the cloud figures in one blow. He took a breath, the pink giving way to his human skin tone. He let out a shaky breath, dropping to his knees, and balled up his fists before pressing them against his eyes.</p>
<p>Lapis walked towards Steven, placing her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and his face expressed how scared he was before he locked it back up. She hated seeing the boy look like he was trying to be someone else. She offered him a smile, before gesturing to the door with her head. “Let’s go talk somewhere else.”</p>
<p>Lapis led Steven from the room and sat him down on the couch. She picked up a blanket that had been discarded on the back of the couch and draped it around his shoulders. She offered him a smile and walked to the kitchen. She made him a mug of cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream, which she carried into the living room with the utmost of care.</p>
<p>Steven sat on the couch, the blanket pulled up over his ears and draped across his chest, with his legs pulled up to his chest. His arms were crossed over his knees with his head just barely peeking out over the top of his crossed arms. His eyes followed Lapis around the room and the corners of his lips went up when he saw the mug of cocoa.</p>
<p>“Here.” Lapis passed Steven the mug with a smile, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him actually smile.</p>
<p>Steven took the mug, blowing on the hot beverage before he took a sip. Steven barely noticed as Lapis settled beside him, her lithe arm wrapping around his broader shoulders. Steven only noticed when Lapis gently pulled him against her side.</p>
<p>“You can talk to us.” Lapis began, the words coming out wrong. “We’re here if you need us.”</p>
<p>Steven turned towards her, his eyes were unfocused. “You wouldn’t understand.”</p>
<p>Lapis looked down at the boy, their boy, and frowned. “Trapped in a mirror, remember?”</p>
<p>Steven nodded and sipped at his cocoa. He sat beside Lapis in silence, neither making noise other than the sounds of Steven drinking his cocoa. He looked up at Lapis after he drained his mug. “I just need to be needed.”</p>
<p>Lapis looked down at their boy in her arms, he was more Greg than Pink at that moment, and it surprised her. “What do you mean Steve-o?”</p>
<p>He looked up at her, his eyes filling with tears. “I’ve solved everyone’s problems for as long as I can remember. I barely remember what went on before I discovered my gem powers.” Steven looked down to conceal his emotions. “Everyone needed me all the time then. After my powers appeared, and I realized who Mom was, I was tasked with picking up after her.” Steven let out a sniffle and fervently rubbed at his eyes to get rid of the tears. “I had to fix Earth and Homeworld and all of the corrupted gems.” Steven let out a sigh, a deep exhausted sigh. “All those corrupted gems.”</p>
<p>Lapis realized all they’d put on Steven’s shoulders over the years. “I’m sorry, for everything we put on your shoulders.” She smiled sadly at their boy, the Diamond he was forced to become and the Quartz he inherited. “You shouldn’t have had to put up with everything. We should have been able to deal with our own problems.”</p>
<p>“I wanted to help. I made such a big deal about helping out in the beginning that I just never learned how to say no.”</p>
<p>Lapis and Steven sat there, talking, and if Steven fell asleep afterward Lapis wouldn’t share that with anyone, because Steven was just starting to heal.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have very little knowledge of Steven Universe Future. Therefore, the characters are a little OOC. I hope you enjoyed.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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